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Great Star Theater in San Francisco’s Chinatown to reopen

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Sometimes a spat with one’s significant other can lead to something quite unexpected. This what happened to George Kaskanlian Jr., who was walking off his anger when he came across a Chinatown movie house that had been closed for over a dozen years. One thing led to another, and the Great Star will be reopening as a film and concert venue.

Thus it was perfect as a venue for “Another Hole in the Head,” Kaskanlian’s enticingly named film festival that he runs as an offshoot of SF Indie Fest. Kaskanlian, 35, and business partner Ken Montero, 36, got a 10-year lease and it has taken the first year just to clean the place, which seats 540. Next, they are taking on the 1950s-era Christie projectors with Xenolite lamps.

“The goal is to revitalize it and to do local community Chinese events and bring in concerts and film festivals,” says Montero, who, like Kaskanlian, grew up in San Francisco but has no previous connection to Chinese culture.